Much Ado About Something
by Greenskirt Girl
Summary: Malcolm Reed finds the woman of his dreams, or his nightmares.  Some swearing and will feature some NSFW content in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, except Cassie and her family. All the rest are owned by Paramount...blah, blah, blah. Though I would like to own Malcolm (if only just for a night) }:p

Author's Note: I called this story "Much Ado About Something" because I was listening to the "Much Ado About Nothing" soundtrack for most of the time I was writing it. That and Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, even though it's not usually Christmas when I'm writing. Please review.

**Chapter 1**

_ What a boring day_, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, tactical officer for the U.S.S. _Enterprise_, thought. _We could be out exploring the universe and making contact with new life forms, but no, we're stuck in dry dock, getting a complete overhaul. Just because the Vulcans think Enterprise has been out too long without repairs. We've only been here two weeks and the whole crew is starting to get stir crazy. _Then Captain Archer exited his ready room and headed toward Malcolm's station.

"Malcolm, I've just received word from Admiral Forrest. We're needed in Launch Bay 2. I'll explain on the way."

Malcolm followed the captain into the turbolift and waited patiently for Archer to tell him why he was needed to greet the admiral, who undoubtedly had better things to do with his time than see how the repairs were going.

As soon as they were underway, Archer turned to him and said "We're taking on a new crew member."

"Very good, sir. But I fail to see what this has to do with me."

"Lieutenant Chase is a weapons designer, one of the best in fact, and is now permanently assigned to our crew."

"I see, sir. So you want me there to meet the new addition to my department?"

"Exactly, Malcolm."

They entered the launch bay, where the shuttlepod had already docked, and Malcolm saw that Archer had also summoned Hoshi, presumably as a guide for the lieutenant, since Malcolm himself was on duty and had to report back to the bridge as soon as they were done here. The hatch on the shuttlepod swung open and two forms emerged. Malcolm recognized only one of them. The man on the right was Admiral Forrest, the head of Starfleet. Archer walked up and shook the admiral's hand.

"Admiral Forrest, sir," the captain said. "It's a pleasure to have you aboard. This is my tactical officer, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, and my communications officer, Ensign Hoshi Sato."

The admiral shook Malcolm and Hoshi's hands as well. "Lieutenant Reed, a pleasure. We've heard a lot about you at the Starbase. And you as well, Ensign."

"Thank you, sir." Malcolm wasn't used to compliments from such high ranking officers. Beside him, Hoshi also murmured her thanks to the unexpected recognition from the admiral.

"And this is Lieutenant Cassandra Chase, our weapons designer." The person on the left stepped forward, and Malcolm belatedly realized that he was staring at one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her hair was a red brown color, reminiscent of a fox's pelt. It was swept up in a crisp ponytail that fell just short of the shoulders of her blue _Enterprise_ uniform, which fit loosely, but couldn't quite disguise her lush curves. Her eyes were a piercing green, framed by long lashes and gracefully curved brows. Her mouth looked soft and yielding, but there was strength in it as well. Her face was round with high cheekbones, and she looked about eighteen, but Malcolm knew she had to be older than that to qualify for Starfleet.

"Permission to come aboard, sir." Well, she at least knew the formalities, that was evident.

"Permission granted." The captain smiled at her. "Welcome aboard, Lieutenant."

Lieutenant Chase walked forward and shook Archer's hand. "Captain Archer, sir, a pleasure to be aboard your fine ship. I've heard so much about the famous _Enterprise_." She turned to Malcolm and put out her hand to shake. "Lieutenant Reed. I'm sure it will be…enlightening to work with a fellow weapons expert."

Malcolm was a bit up off by her aloof manner, but he took her outstretched hand anyway. Her hand was tiny, disappearing in his grasp. Malcolm had never thought of himself as having overly large hands, but next to hers, his seemed enormous. The moment his skin touched hers, a spark seemed to run between them, and a nearly imperceptible shiver ran the length of his body. Entirely of its own volition, his hand tightened around hers, and he could tell she felt the spark too when her eyes widened and she gasped and jerked her hand out of his, rubbing it with her other hand.

Malcolm had never experienced anything like it, and his confusion over the sensation led him to use a much harsher tone than he intended when he addressed her.

"Lieutenant Chase, I'm told you're one of the top weapons designers in all of Starfleet. Forgive my skepticism, but you don't look old enough to have designed some of Starfleet's best weapons, much less to have even been out of the Academy long enough to earn your lieutenant's rank." He saw her stiffen at his words and knew he was in for a tongue lashing from this woman.

"I may be young, _Lieutenant_ Reed, but I've more than earned my rank. And my reputation as a weapons designer. The new phase pistols I'm sure you've got in your armory…those are entirely my design. As well as the armor plating on the hull of your ship. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do, setting up your armory to my specifications."

"Certainly, _Lieutenant_ Chase." Malcolm used her own haughty tone against her. "I wouldn't want to keep you from your job."

Captain Archer spoke up, interrupting the tension building between the two of them. "Hoshi, will you show Lieutenant Chase to her quarters, the armory, and anywhere else on the _Enterprise_ that she wants to visit?"

"Yes, Captain," Hoshi said. "If you'll follow me, Lieutenant."

Archer turned to Malcolm. "You'd better get back to the bridge, Malcolm. We'll talk about this later. Now the admiral and I have some business to attend to. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Malcolm exited the launch bay and headed toward the nearest turbolift. On the way, he ran into Trip, who was heading toward Engineering. Trip fell in step beside him.

"So, I heard we took on a new crew member, a weapons designer. What's he like?"

"She, actually. Lieutenant Cassandra Chase."

Trip whistled. "A woman, huh? So what's _she_ like?"

It took Malcolm a moment to tamp down his irritation as he remembered just exactly what she was like. He knew he hadn't quite succeeded when the words, "Of all the arrogant, cold hearted, conceited…" came out of his mouth.

Trip laughed. "So you like her," he teased.

Malcolm was appalled. "Like her? My God, no! I would sooner kiss a Tellarite than spend one more moment with that woman!"

Trip sighed. "That's too bad, cause I heard you'll be working real closely with her, seeing as how she's gonna be the other ranking tactical officer, in addition to her work designing improved weapons for _Enterprise_. I hope she's good looking at least."

"Beautiful. She's beautiful." Malcolm paused a moment, remembering. "But I can't believe the captain would do this to me. I can run the armory department by myself! I don't need any help from some woman barely old enough to be in Starfleet. I've got to talk to him about this."

"I don't think the captain had much choice in the matter," Trip said. "If she was sent here by Starfleet, this most likely came from way over the captain's head. I'm betting that her being the same rank as you was deliberate. So you can't order her around too much."

They had reached the door to Engineering and had to end their conversation. As Malcolm walked away shaking his head, Trip watched him go from the door. "Oh yeah. He's got it bad," he said to himself. "Something tells me this woman is gonna be the best thing that's ever happened to him." He laughed and went on into Engineering.

Things, thought Cassandra to herself, had not been going very well since she had set foot on this ship. She'd been ecstatic to be assigned to the famous _Enterprise_, to have the chance to actually see her weapons in use, but also a bit apprehensive. She was used to working alone, and wasn't sure how she'd react to having to deal with so many people on a daily basis, let alone having to give orders in combat. She had the training, but not the experience. And then there was her age. At eighteen, she could pass for thirteen, and now at the ripe old age of twenty three, she looked eighteen. How would the armory crew react to taking orders from someone who didn't look old enough to have even graduated high school, much less someone who was younger than most of them? She'd gotten her fears under control enough to act like a normal human being, that is, until she saw _him_.

Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, one of the most handsome men she'd ever encountered. Thick brown hair, bright blue eyes, sensual lips, and a lean, fit body made for a devastating package that any woman would find hard to resist. As an added bonus, he was English, judging by his accent. Which was really too bad because Cassandra had always had a weakness for men with foreign accents, being from the United States herself.

She'd been doing fine until she met him. Then the bright, bubbly Cassandra got scared and retreated behind the cold, aloof Cassandra that she had created to avoid being hurt any more by people who just wanted to use her or tease her about being such a brain. What was worse, she'd behaved like a frightened rabbit when they shook hands. His hand was big and warm, dwarfing her smaller hand, his grip firm, and she'd felt the most incredible spark when their hands touched. It had startled her into pulling away from him. She knew he had felt it too when his hand tightened around hers before she pulled it away.

Cassandra knew she had been unforgivably rude, but the man had been positively condescending when he addressed her after shaking her hand, questioning both her age and lack of experience, till she just wanted to slap the scornful look right off his handsome face. She'd replied even more condescendingly, flaunting her accomplishments, and drawing even further into her shell. He'd tossed her tone right back at her, and their exchange could have continued indefinitely, but Captain Archer, sensing the tension between them, had intervened, sending her off with Ensign Sato to get acquainted with her new home.

"So," said the ensign. "Welcome to the _Enterprise_, Lieutenant."

Cassandra smiled. Finally, a friendly presence aboard this ship. "Thank you, Ensign…Sato, was it? And please, call me Cassie. All my friends do."

"I will then…Cassie. And you can call me Hoshi." She smiled and turned to Cassandra. "So what do you think of Malcolm?"

"Malcolm? Oh, Lieutenant Reed." Before she could stop herself, Cassandra's feelings just poured out. "Of all the arrogant, condescending, know-it-alls…" She stopped when she saw Hoshi laughing. "Why? Is he your lover?" She clapped her hand over her mouth, mortified beyond all belief that she'd just asked that question of her new friend, a question she had sworn she wouldn't ask, no matter how tempting it was.

"Sorry," she said, cheeks flaming red with embarrassment. "That was inappropriate of me. I've often been told that I need to think before I open my mouth, and this is just another example of it."

Hoshi laughed again. "No, no! It's okay. Malcolm's not my lover. He's not anyone's lover. The man's been single ever since I met him. I just wanted to know what you thought of him, since you'll be working closely with him from now on."

"What?" Cassandra was stunned. She had assumed she'd be working mostly on her own, just like she always did. "Work with him? I'd rather sleep with a Klingon than spend any more time in the same room as Lieutenant Reed!"

Hoshi's face lit up with merriment. "So you don't like him?"

Cassandra's eyes widened at her question. "Like him? If I'd spent one more minute in his presence, I'd have slapped him! The man is far too handsome for his own good. It must be gratifying to his ego to have women forever falling at his feet."

"So you think Malcolm's handsome," Hoshi teased?

Cassandra snorted. "Are you kidding? Of course he's handsome, but much too good looking for the likes of me, even if I could abide him."

Hoshi frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"Well look at me." Cassandra gestured to herself. "I'm not exactly 'Beauty of the Year.' I'm not even in the running."

"I think you underestimate yourself," Hoshi said. "Just out of curiosity, how old were you when you graduated high school, Cassie?"

Cassandra wondered at the sudden change of subject, but answered anyway. "Fourteen. Why?"

"Most kids don't graduate until they're eighteen. I'm willing to bet you never quite learned to cope with people, being so much smarter than most of the ones you encountered."

And there was the root of the problem, laid out so simply by a woman who had only just met her. Cassandra had never really learned to deal with people adequately, thinking it better just to leave them alone. Her peers regarded her as a freak for being so smart, and weren't shy about letting her know it, and the older kids whose classes she had been placed in considered it uncool to hang out with someone so much lower on the social scale than them. As a result, she never had many friends, and was constantly teased by everyone. So she had erected a wall around her emotions, vowing never to let them know she was hurting. Appearing weak was just asking to get jumped on.

Aware that Hoshi was waiting for an answer, Cassandra tossed off a noncommittal reply. "You're probably right."

"What did you do with the four years between when you graduated and when you were old enough to go to the Academy," Hoshi asked?

"I went to college," Cassandra replied. "Got my degrees in weapons design and vocal performance, with a minor in theatre."

"Vocal performance?" Hoshi sounded impressed.

"Yes." Cassandra smiled, thinking of her favorite hobby. "I love to sing. I could have been a professional singer, you know, but I chose Starfleet instead. I've always wanted to see space. I've been out of the Academy for a year and a half," she confided. "I'm only twenty three, Hoshi. Do you think I'm too young to be a lieutenant?"

Hoshi waved a hand dismissively. "Pay no attention to Malcolm. He's just mad because he won't get to boss you around." This made Cassandra smile.

They had reached the senior officers' quarters and Hoshi stopped before a door. "This is your room," she said. "Do you want to stay here and settle in or see the rest of the ship?"

"Oh, see the rest of the ship, definitely." Cassandra was glad to be given a choice. "Just let me put my bags down, then we can be off."

She stowed her bags in one corner of her new room, planning to unpack later, then emerged from her room, eager to be on her way.

"That was quick," Hoshi commented.

"Oh, I didn't unpack anything," Cassandra said. "I'm in too much of a hurry to see the rest of _Enterprise._" She laughed at herself. "I must seem like a kid in a candy shop to you," she told Hoshi. "You've probably gotten used to your ship, having been on her for so long, but I've never seen her, just her specs so I could know what kind of weapons and defenses she needed."

Hoshi laughed. "It's quite all right. I was impressed with _Enterprise_ too when I first saw her. It took a long time for the newness to wear off. Which part of her would you like to see first?"

"Engineering. I want to know all about how _Enterprise_ runs." If the bridge was the brain of _Enterprise_, then Engineering was certainly the heart of her. Cassandra felt that to really know something, you had to know its heart first.

Hoshi smiled at her enthusiasm and they set off for Engineering. On the way, they stopped by Sickbay, and Hoshi introduced her to Doctor Phlox. Cassandra had never met a Denobulan before, and Phlox proved to be a kind man. He greeted her warmly and told her that her records had just been transferred from Jupiter Station, but she needed to come in as soon as possible for a current physical. Cassandra assured him that she would, and she and Hoshi continued on to Engineering. When they arrive, Hoshi took her to meet the Chief Engineer.

"Cassie, this is Commander Charles Tucker, the Third."

Cassandra liked the looks of this man. Blond hair, laughing green eyes, and an infectious grin all said that he was much friendlier than Malcolm Reed. He laughed as he shook her hand and said, "Just Trip, please. That mouthful's too much for me." He had a southern drawl, reminding Cassandra of places she'd grown up in. This man made her feel instantly at home.

"And you must be Lieutenant Chase," he continued. "Malcolm's told me all about you."

A soft, involuntary growl escaped Cassandra's throat at the mention of Malcolm. Trip heard it and wisely decided to drop the subject of Malcolm.

"Please," she said, sensing that Trip was a friend, "call me Cassie…Trip."

Trip smiled. "Cassie, then. You made a good choice when you came to Engineering. Now this here's the warp core…"

Trip and Hoshi showed her all around Engineering. Cassandra had never been more fascinated in her life. Her specialty was weapons, but she drank in anything they would tell her about how this great ship moved through space and maintained life aboard herself.

They made a complete circuit of Engineering and arrived back where they started. "This concludes our tour of Engineering," Trip said. "Now for the rest of the ship." He led the way out of Engineering toward the nearest turbolift. The three chatted about what Cassandra had learned about the warp drive, until they reached the lower part of the ship. Trip stopped before a door and said, "This is the armory, where you'll be doing most of your work. Care to take a look?"

He didn't have to ask twice. Cassandra nodded eagerly and they went in. As she moved around the armory, familiarizing herself with her new workspace, Trip and Hoshi stood just inside the door, talking softly.

"So this is the famous Cassandra who's got Malcolm in such a mood," Trip said, grinning. "What did she say about him? After hearing her growl when I mentioned him, I know it can't have been anything flattering."

Hoshi smiled back at him. "She called him arrogant, condescending, and a know-it-all."

Trip laughed. "That's pretty much what he said about her."

Hoshi was quick to defend her new friend. "Not that I blame her. Malcolm practically bit her head off after they shook hands. Implied that she wasn't old enough to be a well-known weapons designer, much less a lieutenant. I've never seen him react to anyone that way. Especially in front of the captain and Admiral Forrest."

Trip looked concerned. "Just how old is our little lieutenant?"

Hoshi sighed. "Twenty three. She's somewhat of a prodigy. Has degrees in weapons design and music, but has trouble dealing with people. She's going to be the youngest officer on _Enterprise_. I'm afraid the MACOs will walk all over her the first time she has to give them an order. Then again, if she can stand up to Malcolm in a temper, she may not have that much trouble."

"What did she say to him," Trip asked?

Hoshi smiled, remembering. "She flaunted her credentials at him, then told him in not so many words to get the hell out of her face. That was when the captain stepped in. I have a feeling they would have come to blows if I hadn't taken her out of the launch bay."

"Whew!" Trip exhaled. "I wonder what possessed Malcolm to pull a stunt like that in front of the captain and the admiral? Cassie must have him pretty riled up to act that way. Even though he claims he can't stand her, he thinks she's beautiful. And having met her, I agree with him. She is beautiful, and smart to boot. Every man on this ship is gonna be begging for her attention once they get a look at her."

Hoshi sighed again. "She doesn't think so. But she did call Malcolm _handsome_, though she thinks he's out of her league. She even asked if he was my lover."

They both had a good laugh over that, then Trip turned to her and lowered his voice even more. "Hosh…you know we gotta get them together, don't you? They're perfect for each other. I guarantee you, the attraction's already there. Malcolm's about to fall hard for Cassie."

"I think you're right," Hoshi said. "They couldn't stop staring at each other when they met. But maybe we should just let things happen on their own. We might end up screwing things up for them if we meddle."

"Sure," Trip said, "but if things between them don't get better, we gotta come up with a plan to smooth things out."

"Agreed," said Hoshi, and they both stared at the unsuspecting Cassandra. She and Malcolm were about to have their worlds turned upside down.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own any of these characters except Cassie and her family, the rest are owned by Paramount.

**Chapter 2**

When Malcolm entered the armory the next day, he found that Cassandra had beaten him there. She had unzipped the top half of her uniform and knotted the sleeves around her waist, leaving her upper half clad only in the tight black, sleeveless undershirt that was worn under the uniform, and Malcolm couldn't help admiring the graceful curves of her back and shoulders. She had her back to the door, a phase pistol in her hands, and was concentrating on a target at the other end of the room. Several PADDs were on the workstation next to her, and she appeared to have been in the armory for a while.

Careful to make himself known so he wouldn't startle her into shooting him, he called from the doorway, "You're out of uniform, Lieutenant."

She didn't even turn around to acknowledge him. "Don't bother, _Lieutenant. _I'm not on duty for another five minutes."

"Then what are you doing here?" Malcolm was obscurely angered by her presence. He had always considered the armory his territory.

"Making modifications to this phase pistol," she replied, and it was then that he noticed the laser pencil sticking out of her hair, and the set of precision calibrating tools on the workstation by the PADDs.

Malcolm couldn't fault her dedication to her work, but felt he had to make some protest. "Well, next time ask me before…" His angry words trailed off as he came up beside her and saw the livid bruises on her left arm. "What the hell happened to your arm?"

Cassandra glanced down to where he was looking. "Oh, those," she said, as if just noticing them for the first time. She sighed, reluctant to talk about it. "My now ex-boyfriend objected to my leaving him on Jupiter Station to take this assignment aboard _Enterprise_. I tried explaining to him that I didn't have a choice about coming, but boys can be so pigheaded sometimes, you know." That zing was aimed directly at him, and Malcolm knew it.

"So where is he now?" In the brig, Malcolm hoped, for daring to lay his hands on this girl.

"Oh, I imagine he's still in Medical, nursing a broken nose, two cracked ribs and a dislocated knee." She saw his eyes widen at the description of her ferocity and smiled grimly. "I don't play well with others, Lieutenant Reed. Nor take kindly to being abused."

"What did Security have to say about all of this?" Malcolm was willing to bet that the blame for this incident had fallen squarely on her boyfriend, and her next words confirmed it.

"They took one look at him and at the bruises on my arm and called it a clear cut case of self-defense." Cassandra smirked. "The security officer in charge said there was no way that a 'little thing' like myself could have beaten the shit out of a big, hulking man like my ex without provocation."

"And why didn't the medtechs heal your arm? They must have seen it when Security was done with the whole mess." Malcolm was still angry that some sorry excuse for a man had dared to put his hands on Cassandra in a violent manner, never mind that she had done worse to him, and that Malcolm himself had had the urge to strangle her at least twice since they met.

"I wouldn't let them," she said. "I wanted a visible reminder of why I don't trust people."

"Why don't you trust people?" Malcolm had to ask. He didn't think she would be candid with him, but she surprised him with her words, which seemed to lay bare the very depths of her soul to him.

"For most of my childhood, as well as my teen years, people used and abused me in one form or another. The children my age either teased my about my smarts or used me to further themselves. The older children did that too, in addition to beating up on me because I was a convenient target within their range of influence. When I entered Starfleet Academy, I vowed that I would never let anyone do that to me again. And I've kept that promise."

For a moment, Malcolm could see the vulnerable child in Cassandra's eyes, then her chronometer beeped and it was gone. She untied her uniform sleeves from her waist and put them on, zipping up her uniform as she went. Malcolm was sorry to see her impressive curves covered up, but even sorrier that this moment had come to an end. From her confession, he had begun to understand her better, but she had retreated from him before he could find the real Cassandra he knew was there.

"Well, duty calls." She avoided his eyes as she retrieved her things from the workstation. "Trip's promised to help me find the things I need to begin my work today. Later." And she was gone, out the door before he even had the chance to apologize for making her relieve bad memories. Irritating she might be, but he had no wish to cause her pain.

"Damn!" Malcolm banged his fist on the workstation. He had hurt her, without even meaning to, and she'd gone running off to Trip, who, undoubtedly would commiserate with her about what a cad Malcolm was. He turned to survey the armory, making sure everything was in its place, when his eyes fell on a piece of paper lying on the floor by the worktable Cassandra had been using. Malcolm bent down and picked it up, and saw that it was a photograph. There was Cassandra, dwarfed by three other people, a stocky teenager who looked just like her, right down to the copper hair, a tall, thin, scholarly looking man with grey hair and a beard, and a woman with dark hair, going grey, done up in a braid that fell to her waist. This had to be her family, if looks were anything to go by. The older man and woman had their hands on Cassandra's shoulders and were smiling like any proud parents. The teenager, most certainly her brother, stood close without touching, as teenagers were wont to do when forced to take pictures, but he was also smiling. Cassandra herself was beaming, glad to be surrounded by her family, face glowing with pride, no doubt at her new Starfleet uniform. She must just have graduated the Academy when the picture was taken. Malcolm turned it over and saw written on the back 'Jason, Beth, Cassandra, and Maddox. Cassie's graduation, May 2150.' Jason and Beth must be her parents, and Maddox her brother.

Malcolm slipped the picture into the pocket over his heart, vowing to keep it until such time as Cassandra asked for it back. He was comforted by this tangible proof that she had a human side, for at first blush, she seemed as coldly logical as a Vulcan. But this proud, smiling Cassandra was nothing like the Cassandra who had thrown his contempt back in his face when they first met. Maybe there was hope for her after all.

A few days later, Malcolm was in the mess hall, eating lunch with Trip and Hoshi, trying to take his mind off the morning's argument with Cassandra over her priorities aboard the ship, when the object of his thoughts walked through the door. Once she'd gotten her food, she turned to find a place to sit, and her eyes met his. Cassandra narrowed her eyes at him, and he returned her look full force. As she started toward an empty table, Trip turned around to see what Malcolm was glaring at, and seeing Cassandra, waved and beckoned her over.

"Hey, Cassie! Over here! Come sit with us." Cassandra smiled and made her way to their table by the window.

"Trip!" Malcolm couldn't believe the nerve of his friend. "It's bad enough that I have to work with her, now you want me to spend my lunch hour in her company as well?"

"Be nice, Malcolm," Trip said, just as Hoshi kicked him under the cover of the table. "We're the only friends Cassie's got on this ship so far. Think how lonely she must feel."

By then, Cassandra had reached the table, and Trip moved over to sit across from Hoshi, ostensibly to give Cassandra the seat facing the window, but really so she would be forced to sit directly across from Malcolm.

"Hi Trip, Hoshi!" Cassandra greeted them enthusiastically. She paused a moment, then said neutrally, "Malcolm."

It was the first time she had called him by his given name, and Malcolm was stunned by the rush of pleasure he felt at hearing his name cross her lips, but knew he ought to respond in kind. "Cassandra," he said, nodding to acknowledge her presence.

"What're you eating today, Cassie," Trip asked cheerfully as soon as she sat down?

"Lasagna," Cassandra said with a blissful smile on her face. "It's my favorite!"

Trip laughed at the expression on her face. "Have you tried the meatloaf yet? It's one of Chef's specialties." He forked a bite off his own plate and offered it to her.

Cassandra shook her head and shuttered. "Thank you, but no! My mother used to make us meatloaf when we were kids, and that put me off of it for the rest of my natural life. Never let a vegetarian cook with meat." She grimaced. "It'll all end in tears."

Hoshi and Trip laughed at that, and even Malcolm was forced to chuckle at her tone. Cassandra scooped up an impossibly large bite of lasagna and put it into her mouth. "Mmm," she said indistinctly around her mouthful, "mush be'er an mea oaf."

"So, Cassie, now that you've gotten settled on _Enterprise_, what are you working on," Hoshi asked? "Have you started any new projects?"

Cassandra smiled and pulled a PADD out of one of her pockets. "As a matter of fact, I have," she said. "I'm working on a matter/antimatter bomb. Something to be used in addition to the regular torpedoes we have now."

"How does it work," Hoshi inquired?

"Well, as you know, matter and antimatter are direct opposites of each other, and react violently when they come in contact." Cassandra called up the specs on her PADD and held them out for Trip and Hoshi to peruse. "I've designed a way to keep them separate until the point of impact. Matter in one compartment, antimatter in another, with a neutral substance in the compartment between them. At the point of impact, or whenever it's set to explode, the barriers dissolve and the neutral substance is vented away from the bomb, leaving matter and antimatter free to mix, thus causing the explosion. This container is meant to be placed inside an empty torpedo shell and fired that way, but it should do a lot more damage than your average torpedo. Think along the lines of a reactor overload, since this is basically what happens inside a warp core, only not contained. One of these, properly placed, could take out a ship the size of _Enterprise_, or maybe even bigger. And it's much more versatile than the torpedoes. It could be used as a land or space mine, disguised as a decoy, or any number of other things.

"Very neat, Cassie," Trip said, looking over the specs. "But what kind of 'neutral substance' are we talking about here?"

"That's where I'm stuck," Cassandra admitted. "I haven't found anything that's neutral to both matter and antimatter, but I've only been working on it for a few days, so I'm sure the answer will come eventually. In the meantime, it'll have to take a backseat to my other priorities, like improving on the weapons _Enterprise_ already has. Malcolm laid down the law on that account," she said sarcastically.

Not this argument again. "You need to concentrate on designing upgrades to our existing weapons," Malcolm snapped, "not trying to invent things that may never work."

"Starfleet gave me free reign on my work," she snapped right back, "and besides, there's not many more upgrades I can make to the weapons and armor. _Enterprise_ is already equipped with top of the line in everything. The technology isn't available to make it better."

"Hey," Trip said, but neither Cassandra nor Malcolm paid him any heed.

"Well then make sure the equipment we have stays in working order. I can't have it failing on me in a crisis!" Malcolm's volume was rising in anger, and Cassandra's soon followed.

"That's what your weapons techs are for," Cassandra growled at him. "It's a complete waste of my talents to have me doing nothing but tweaking the existing systems. I'm supposed to be designing new and better weapons, not sitting around with my thumb up my ass!"

"Hey," Trip interjected a little louder, but they were too busy arguing to listen. All eyes in the room were now on the combative pair. To the crew of _Enterprise_, this was high drama.

"I don't need your new weapons," Malcolm shouted! "I'm doing just fine with the ones I have!" They had both stood up by this point, and were practically nose to nose.

"And what do you think the plasma cannons are," Cassandra shouted right back? "Those were only a prototype when _Enterprise_ was built, yet from what I hear, if you hadn't had those 'new' weapons, you would have gotten blown out of the sky pretty quickly!"

Trip was fed up with their bickering. Malcolm and Cassandra could go on in this vein for quite a while, and he for one, wasn't having it. "Hey," he yelled at the top of his lungs, and that got their attention finally. "Cool it, the both of you," he said in a softer tone. "And sit down. That's an order! Everyone's staring at you two. You sound like a pair of three year olds fighting over a toy. You're both right. Cassie, you do need to make sure the weapons continue to run at peak output. Malcolm, Cassie was assigned to _Enterprise_ to design entirely new weapons and defenses for us, not just to maintain what we already have. Cut her some slack. She's just doing her job."

"Typical, Trip," Malcolm muttered irritated. "Take her side. Make me look like the bad guy. Thank you very much."

They sat down to finish their lunch in silence, both still fuming over the argument that, thanks to Trip, neither could say they had won. Trip and Hoshi noticed that they were very careful not to look at each other or say anything that the other might reply to for the rest of the meal. As a result, everyone finished quickly and went about their separate business. When Malcolm and Cassandra had left, Hoshi remarked to Trip in a gloomy tone, "If this keeps up, not only will we never eat lunch in peace again, but the chances of us getting those two together will be practically nil."

Trip grinned. "Cheer up, Hoshi. All this fighting just means they like each other and don't know how to show it. Malcolm's never been this disconcerted over a woman, not even Ensign Hart. It's a good sign. Just you wait. Everything will come out right in the end."


End file.
